


Bulletproof Skin is Useless Against Grief

by AngelWithAStory



Series: The Ultimate Plan [3]
Category: Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Anger, Angst, But mostly angst, Death, Denial, Emotional Manipulation, Grief/Mourning, Kryptonite, M/M, Poisoning, Protectiveness, With a bit of fluff, forgot to add the superbat tag when I uploaded so there it is, kryptonite poisoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-07
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-07 19:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"His blood toxicity is going down slowly." Bruce reported.</p><p>"Still no idea about who did this?" Clark asked, looking at Tim through the reinforced glass window. He was standing further back than Bruce, but his expression was just as worried.</p><p>"I never said that."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bulletproof Skin is Useless Against Grief

**Author's Note:**

> this took MONTHS to write, like seriously.
> 
> I wanted to upload it months ago but it wasn't done in full and I didn't want to do chapters :(
> 
> BUT IT'S DONE NOW!! :D
> 
> This is the last part of The Ultimate Plan series so I hope everyone who read the other two parts enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy this :)

"His blood toxicity is going down slowly." Bruce reported.

"Still no idea about who did this?" Clark asked, looking at Tim through the reinforced glass window. He was standing further back than Bruce, but his expression was just as worried.

"I never said that." Bruce corrected. "I have suspects-"

"But no solid evidence as to who exposed Robin to an innumerable quantity of Kryptonite." Clark finished, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. In reality, intense anger was burning inside both adults - Bruce's anger because his partner (practically his _son_ ) was lying in a hospital bed with Kryptonite coursing through his body; Clark's because of what this was doing to the people around him.

Clark saw Bruce's fist clench as the anger surfaced slightly.

"He's releasing Kryptonite radiation continuously," Bruce said, grateful for the cowl to hide his expression. "We're not sure if it's having any long-term effects on Robin, especially since his health is staying relatively normal. The radiation only seems to have an effect on any Kryptonian in range."

"I noticed the lead paint on the walls." Clark said, silently thanking Bruce's consideration. Bruce didn't respond to the statement. Clark knew that Bruce was hurting underneath the cape and cowl.

"Have you talked to any of the Teen Titans about this? Explained the situation to them?" Clark asked, chancing a look at Bruce.

"You mean, _'does Superboy know why I'm not allowing him near Robin?'_ " Bruce corrected, a note or irritation in his voice. "He's your clone."

"And Robin's important to him." Clark countered. "Tell me you wouldn't be the same if the person you loved was in a hospital bed and you didn't even know why, let alone why you couldn't see them." He challenged, letting a small amount of anger slip into his voice.

"I don't have to, Clark." Bruce met his eye sharply. His voice was cold and Clark found himself looking away. Countless memories of hospital rooms and sleepless night rose to the forefront of his mind.

"Does the Kryptonite radiation show any sign of weakening?" Clark asked after a few minutes silence, thinking of the other Kryptonian a few floors down who was currently worrying out of his mind.

"It's still early." Bruce said vaguely. Clark nodded once, sinking back into his thoughts.

 

 

"You know, you two can go in." Conner stated, glancing at Cassie and Bart. "It's just me who has to stay behind the lead-painted wall. The Kryptonite radiation won't effect you."

Cassie rested her arm on Conner's shoulder gently.

"I'll stay out here with you." She said.

"No, Cassie, you're just as worried about him as I am. Go make sure he's okay for me." Conner said, giving her a reassuring smile. Cassie saw straight through the act, but she returned the smile anyway.

"Bart?" She asked, looking at the speedster. Bart nodded and calmly walked over to the door with her. He saw Conner step back when he turned the handle so both of them quickly ducked inside and resealed the door.

Tim looked up and smiled at them. It didn't look right with tubes and devices monitoring his well-being. His upper body was bare so that his heart rate could be measured without the obstruction of his costume. Even his domino mask was removed.

A breathing tube was feeding Tim oxygen through his nose and an IV drip was stuck in his arm.

"Hey," Tim said. The weakness in his voice was almost too much.

"Hey, Tim." Cassie said gently, walking up to the hospital bed, being careful not to disturb any of the medical instruments surrounding Tim.

"What have I missed since I've been out of action? Anything I can do to help?" Tim asked. Bart laughed and Cassie refrained from rolling her eyes. Typical Tim.

"You shouldn't be worrying about crime-fighting, Tim." Cassie berated kindly.

"Yeah, we're handling everything." Bart chipped in.

"I just want to get out of here." Tim admitted.

"Tim," Bart began. He sound so unlike himself that both Cassie and Tim looked at him. "We know who did this to you, don't we?" Bart lowered his voice, as if he was afraid someone was listening in.

Tim nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "It's Luthor. Or at least he's behind this."

"We need to tell the League that it's Luthor so they can do something. Maybe he has an antidote stored somewhere." Bart insisted. There was something in his voice which made him sound so young and so unsure that it was pitiful. He didn't want to see Tim like this. Luthor had gone too far this time.

"Bart, there's a new video game in the bag I brought for the weekend. I thought you'd like to be the beta tester." Tim said, smiling at Bart weakly. Bart smiled, not as genuinely as he could. He nodded and ran out the room, opening and closing the heavy door in a heartbeat.

Cassie watched him and turned her head back to Tim.

"Okay, something is really wrong, isn't it?" She said quietly. Tim's eyes turned sad and Cassie took his hand, being mindful of the needles poking into his skin. Tim squeezed her hand.

"I think this is going to kill me." Tim whispered.

"Tim, you're not going to die." Cassie promised forcefully.

"Cassie, I was injected with some unknown chemical and then exposed to Kryptonite. Injected with the Kryptonite, I breathed it in." Tim said, despair written all over his face. "There's no way I'm getting out of this unscathed. I'm probably gonna die. And I can't even see Kon because of the Kryptonite radiation I'm releasing." A small tear welled up in Tim's eye and rolled down his cheek. Cassie squeezed his hand tightly.

"No. Tim, you're not going to die. You're a Titan. We're not going to let you die. Not now, not while we're still kicking butt." Cassie repeated. Her voice was set with so much determination that Tim almost believed her. He gripped her hand tighter suddenly, looking up at her.

"You need to get something. Evidence. There's a flash drive in my room with a few files on which the League needs to see. Incriminating stuff. Emails." Tim said.

"Stuff that Luthor sent?" Cassie guessed.

"Yeah. Pass it on to Batman. I can't leave this room yet and the faster they get it, the more chance they have of getting to Luthor." Tim said.

"I'll pass the flash drive on." Cassie promised, keeping her voice as calm and as strong as she could.

"It's in my desk. Just a small black flash drive." Tim said. "Get it now. And don't let Bart in my room."

"Why isn't Bart allowed in your room? Afraid he'll mess it up before you're well enough to clean it?" Cassie asked, a small teasing tone in her voice.

"I'm worried he'll find my other games. I don't want him to play without me." Tim replied, smiling. "And tell Kon I'm sorry."

"You can tell him that when you're out of this hospital bed." Cassie replied, letting go of his hand. She looked at him for a few seconds, before walking towards the door.

Cassie stopped, one hand still on the handle. She turned around, looking at Tim.

"You're going to get better, Tim. Believe that, and you're already half-way there." She said softly. Tim gave her a small smile on response. "We'll be back later. Want us to bring you anything?"

"I'm okay, Cassie. Thanks for the offer, though." Tim said quietly.

Cassie turned back around, opening the door and shutting it quickly behind her.

"You heard every word, didn't you?" Cassie asked, not looking at Conner.

"Yeah." Conner replied.

Cassie took a step towards him and Conner wrapped his arms around her shoulders comfortingly. Cassie returned the hug instantly, feeling emotions well up in her throat. Connor looked through the window at Tim.

' _I'm so sorry Tim. This is all on me. I'm so sorry._ '

 

"Should we show Batman?" Diana asked quietly, watching the monitors Bruce set up to watch Tim.

"He doesn't need to hear his partner say he think's he going to die." Wally replied, his cowl hanging around his neck. He ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "None of his family do."

"So we're keeping this from Nightwing, Oracle and Batgirl too?" Diana questioned. "They should know sometime."

"Cassie will pass on the flash drive and we'll take down Luthor. His family don't need any more pain right now." Wally said quietly. Diana squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I just want to know what else Lex sent Tim so we have hard evidence against him." Diana admitted.

"I don't think the courts are who Lex Luthor should be afraid of. Not once the League sees the flash drive." Wally said gravely.

 

 

"Hey, Dickie boy!" The Red Hood's voice was loud in the empty space but drowned out enough by the sounds of Gotham outside that he didn't need to both with aliases.

"What do you want, Jason?" Nightwing demanded, looking at his brother curiously. No matter what, Dick would still call Jason his brother - that would never really change.

"Catch!" A small object flew towards Dick, who caught it expertly.

"What's this?" Dick demanded, looking at the small black tie-up sack in his palm.

"Information." Jason replied shortly. "Flash memory drives. Stuff I've managed to scrape together about Luthor. He doesn't have many friends and there are a lot of people waiting to see him go down. Even in Gotham." He explained. Dick looked up at Jason in surprise. The red helmet he wore didn't allow Dick to see his expression, but something in his voice stood out.

"Why are you giving me this?" Dick asked, tightening his fist around the bag.

"Well I sure as hell wasn't going to go to Bruce, now was I?" Jason retorted sharply, sounding almost amused at the question.

"Jason..." Something in Dick's tone weakened Jason's façade.

"I heard what happened. He's not a bad kid; and he didn't deserve whatever Luthor did to him." Jason admitted. "Make sure Lex gets what's coming for him, alright?" He stated, leaving the warehouse sharply. "Oh, and I'd talk to Batgirl about all this. I've seen her around and it doesn't look like she's handling it that well."

 

 

"Bruce, you need to talk to him." Barbara's voice came over the cave's speakers. Her video feed was taking up a corner of the numerous computer screens built into the wall of the cave.

"I need to find him a cure, Oracle." Bruce countered.

"The only thing we know that does anything to Kryptonite radiation is lead and unless you want to pump Tim full of lead-"

"BARBARA!" Bruce shouted, looking up at her sharply. He had his cowl down and dark bags under his eyes from an underdose of sleep. Barbara didn't even look slightly intimidated by Bruce's outburst. In fact, she was looking mournful - as if Bruce's behaviour only made the situation even less bearable.

"I'm trying." He whispered, looking back down in defeat.

"You always do this, Bruce. You've been working non-stop on a way to reverse this. Tim _needs_ you right now, Bruce. You're his mentor; you took him in and you cared for him. He needs you to be there for him, no matter what happens now." Barbara said softly, knowing she was getting through to Bruce. Her eyes flickered upwards to something behind Bruce. "Back me up here, Alfred, please." She said.

"It's true, Master Bruce. Master Tim needs his family at a trying time like this." Alfred agreed, walking up behind Bruce.

"See, Bruce." Barbara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I've got some people I know trying to track down where the massive shipment of Kryptonite came from. If we find who supplied it to Luthor, it's another nail in his coffin. So to speak," She added quickly, twinging uncomfortable at her own choice of words.

Even though no one _dared_ even _think_ it, they all were aware that Tim's chances weren't that good unless some solution was thought up.

Silence fell over the three for a while, all of them lost in thought.

"How are you getting along with the intel that Cassie passed on from Tim?" Barbara asked gently, trying to restart conversation.

"It seems, that Mister Luthor was intent on using any method possible to force Master Tim into submission. Everything from e-mails to indirect websites." Alfred stated, seeing that Bruce had officially closed himself off.

"So this was a long-time plan; not petty revenge for something." Barbara summarised.

"If it was petty revenge, Luthor wouldn't have gone for Robin in the first place. He would have gone for one of the Kryptonians." Bruce spoke up.

"Master Bruce, maybe this has something to do with Superman after all." Alfred suggested.

"It's possible. Use a loved one to hurt target. It's been done a million times before." Bruce agreed, his voice devoid of any emotion. Alfred looked at Barbara and they shared the same, pained expression. It was hurting Bruce far more than he was letting on and they all knew it.

"Then this was an attack on Super _boy_ rather than Super _man_." Barbara said, tapping a few keys on her own computer.

"How'd you make that leap?" Bruce asked.

"It's Tim in that hospital bed instead of you. That's how I know." Barbara replied simply. Bruce tensed and looked up. Barbara held his gaze for a second before cutting the connection. Her box disappeared from the computer screen and Bruce rested his face in his palms.

"Do you think she's right, Alfred?" Bruce asked, glancing at the elder man over his shoulder.

"It does seem to make sense, Master Bruce." Alfred agreed.

"Then Lex Luthor is up to something and I want to know what." Bruce declared.

"Bur first Master Bruce, I insist that you have a decent meal and a good rest. A shower never hurt anyone either." Alfred commented.

"Alright, I get it." Bruce retorted, standing up and walking towards the stairs which led to the manor, Alfred only a few steps behind.

 

 

A shadow loomed over Lex and he looked up lazily to the window.

He pressed a button on his desk and the window opened. A figure flew in and landed on the floor gracefully right beside him.

"Superman taught you how to control your emo-" Lex was cut off by a fist connecting with his jaw. He flew across the room and landed with a loud thump on the floor.

"The _only_ reason I'm still holding back is because Superman disapproves of killing. Even _you_." Conner exclaimed, trying (and failing) to keep a lid on his temper. Lex rubbed his jaw, feeling blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Superboy?" Lex asked, standing up and straightening his suit. Conner grabbed the neck of the suit, lifting Lex off the ground.

"What chemical did you give Robin and how do I reverse it?!" Conner shouted, rage rolling off him in waves.

"Is this what this is all about? Really Superboy?" Lex asked snidely. Conner punched him again, square in the face. He pulled his strength enough so that he didn't have to release Lex to stop his neck breaking.

"Why are you doing this?!" Conner demanded, barely holding himself together.

"Because," Lex began, spitting blood onto the carpet to clear it from his mouth, "Robin is a distraction. I have much greater plans for you, Superboy."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FUCKING PLAN, LUTHOR!" Conner screamed, throwing another punch at Lex. This time he didn't reel in his strength and Lex smashed into the wall. "MY BOYFRIEND IS DYING BECAUSE OF YOU! I CAN'T GO WITHIN FIFTEEN FEET OF HIM WITHOUT A LEAD SHIELD BECAUSE. OF. YOU!"

"Superboy, calm down." Lex said, trying to soothe him.

"NO, LUTHOR! YOU BETTER TELL ME HOW I CAN SAVE ROBIN OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL COME AFTER YOU!" Conner declared.

"There isn't a cure." Lex admitted, his voice very quiet.

" _SAY. THAT. AGAIN_." Conner demanded, gripping Lex by the throat and suspending him off the ground.

"There...isn't a cure for...the Kryptonite. Or...the chemical which keeps it...in his system." Lex gasped, pulling air into his lungs desperately as Conner's grip tightened. Lex's eyes rolled back into his head.

"KON!" A new voice shouted. Conner turned his head and saw Clark floating outside the window. He touched down on the carpet and took a few, purposeful steps to Conner, his cape billowing out behind him.

"Kon, release Lex. You're better than this." Clark said soothingly, looking Conner in the eye.

Conner took a few deep breaths before loosening his grip.

Lex fell to the ground unceremoniously; unconscious but breathing.

"How long were you there?" Conner asked, almost ashamed of his actions.

"Long enough." Clark replied gently, stepping closer to his protégé.

"He _knew_ he was going to kill Tim. He knows there's no cure!" Conner shouted, tears rolling down his cheeks. "He knows Tim's going to die."

Clark surged forwards, gathering Conner in his arms and holding him closely. Conner buried his face in Clark's shoulder, letting the 'Super' façade fall.

"We'll find a way to save him, Kon. I promise you, we'll save him." Clark whispered reassuringly, holding Conner closely.

 

 

"Your blood toxicity and Kryptonite radiation levels are dropping steadily." Leslie Thompkins said gently, standing next to Tim's bed, opposite Bruce.

"But so are my vitals." Tim finished, looking at her.

"I'm afraid so." Leslie admitted.

"So the Kryptonite is killing me." Tim summarised, without an ounce of fear or surprise in his voice.

"Put in the simplest terms, yes. The Kryptonite is killing you. I'm sorry, Tim." Leslie said, bowing her head slightly.

"Don't be." Tim replied, giving her a small smile. Leslie looked up at Bruce briefly.

"I'll give you two some space." She said softly, leaving the room.

"You okay?" Tim asked, looking up at Bruce. Bruce just looked at him and sat down on the chair beside the bed. He didn't look like he was going to speak any time soon, so Tim filled in the gaps.

"I know that you and the Titans and the League are doing all you can to try and find a cure, but Bruce, even I can read the writing on the lead-painted wall at this point. And I know you can too; you just don't want to admit it. I'm probably going to die. Just promise me you'll find someone to stop you from driving yourself insane with grief. Batman needs a Robin. I proved that." Tim said sternly, looking at his guardian. Bruce still didn't say anything.

"I know that if someone doesn't pull you back from the edge, you'll deteriorate. You're already starting to now." Tim continued.

"You're not going to die." Bruce stated forcefully.

"You can't save everyone-"

"You are not going to die, Tim." Bruce interrupted. "I'm not losing another son."

Bruce leaned forwards and pulled Tim towards him, wrapping his kevlar-clad arms around Tim as tightly as he dared. Tim was dumb-founded for a split second before he returned the hug almost pitifully.

This would absolutely _kill_ Bruce inside and no one would see it happen.

 

 

"Kon?" Tim asked, looking at Conner through the thick glass that separated them. Kon snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Tim.

"Yeah?" Kon replied. He noted that Tim's hospital bed was much closer than it was a few days ago. If Tim reached out he could reach the window easily. Maybe that's why he moved - so he could feel closer to whoever was at the glass.

"How long have you been standing on the other side of the glass?" Tim asked gently.

"Pretty much since you were brought in." Conner admitted sheepishly. He tried not to look at the medical equipment beeping by Tim's head. Beeping away the rest of his life. Beeping that would stop soon.

The thought was painful and Conner pushed it out his head as best he could.

"I guess you know then..." Tim trailed off, averting his eyes so Conner couldn't see the tears begin to well up.

"Yeah. I heard Batman. How... How long do you think you have?" Conner asked quietly.

"A week, maybe. Two at most." Tim admitted. For the first time, Kon could see just how bad this was. Dark rings were beginning to form under Tim's eyes. The skin on his chest was much paler than normal (and when talking about Tim, that really says a _lot_ ) and a bit blotchy around his neck and pectoral muscles. Blue veins were starting to be more and more visible along Tim's arms.

Kon's heart ached at the thought that Tim wasn't going to be around for much longer and he couldn't even hold him.

"This is my fault." Kon muttered, pressing his forehead against the window in despair.

"Kon, you are the last person I would blame for this." Tim replied firmly. It was amazing that Tim could still muster that much strength when he was like this.

"Luthor did this because of me. Because of some deluded _ideal_ he has of me." Kon stated.

"That's Lex Luthor's actions. Not yours. Don't beat yourself up about it. Beat _him_ up about it, if anything." Tim replied reassuringly. Kon sighed and looked into Tim's eyes. They were terrifyingly duller than normal.

"I just want to be able to hold you Tim." He admitted, resting his hand on the glass. Tim's arm twitched.

He slowly lifted it off the bedding and positioned his palm over where Kon's was.

Their hands were aligned, held apart only by the glass barrier. It must have hurt Tim, but he didn't move his hand.

Kon pretended that the glass wasn't there.

That he could feel Tim's hand pressed against his.

That he could feel the calluses that years of being Robin gave him.

That he was feeling skin instead of cold, hard glass.

"Kon, promise me you won't go after Luthor. No matter what happens, _please_ don't go after Lex Luthor." Tim said quietly.

Kon pretended that his world wasn't a few days away from crashing down all around him.

 

 

"Captain Atom." Bruce greeted.

"Batman." Nate replied good-naturedly. "What did you want my help with?"

"You can absorb radiation. Is it possible that you can absorb Kryptonite radiation?" Bruce asked, getting straight to the point.

"I really don't know, honestly. I don't think so." Nate replied. "I'm sorry. I was told about your partner, and I wish I could help more."

"It's not the Kryptonite that's killing him." Leslie said, calling Bruce's attention to her.

"I've got to go. Again, I'm sorry." Nate apologised, quickly leaving. Bruce turned his attention to Leslie and a frown settled over his features.

"What is it, if it isn't the Kryptonite?" Bruce inquired.

"I've compared the blood reports. There were _two_ separate chemical traces in Tim's blood. One is the Kryptonite fragments. The other is a unique compound which I haven't identified yet. I isolated it from the blood but that's as far as I could go with the sample. I think it's the other chemicals which are causing Tim's health to deteriorate." Leslie relayed, handing Bruce a few pages which the reports on.

"The blood cells died in the sample you took?" Bruce repeated.

"Half of the amount of blood cells in the sample died." Leslie corrected.

"Then why is there any need for Kryptonite?" Bruce mused, mostly to himself.

"Another punch in the face for Conner is my guess." Clark stated, joining the situation.

"Send the chemical compound to STAR labs or Oracle and see if they can help in any way." Bruce ordered, ignoring Clark.

"I'll do that Bruce." Leslie promised, gently squeezing Bruce's arm in a reassuring manner before leaving.

"Bruce. I need to talk to you." Clark stated.

"Later." Bruce retorted.

"No, _now_." Clark repeated firmly. Bruce stiffened because that was the tone Clark used when he wasn't going to budge an inch on the subject.

"What?" Bruce demanded, giving Clark his time.

"You need to stop thinking that this us your fault. I know that you're beating yourself up right now about it. Just like every other time when something happens which is out of your control." Clark started.

"Tim is my partner, Clark. Of course this is my fault. Luthor was sending him threats for weeks and I didn't realise. If he dies, I'll never forgive myself." Bruce countered.

"You're still beating yourself up about what happened to Jason! At least with Jason, it was your own villain that did it. This wasn't about you, this time, Bruce. This was Luthor targeting Conner."

"SO WHY IS MY SON TAKING THE HIT?!" Bruce demanded, throwing a punch at the wall. It dented from the impact. Small droplets of blood started seeping down Bruce's fingers from the broken skin on his knuckles.

"You know the answer to that, Bruce." Clark said softly. "Luthor looked for a weakness. And he found it. That's what our villains do."

 

 

Conner walked back down the stairs, too busy sifting through his thoughts to fully pay attention to his surroundings.

He looked up when he nearly stumbled on the last stair and froze.

Someone was in Tim's room.

Someone with blonde hair.

Immediately, Kon's mind went to Cassie, but she was out on a mission with the others.

He'd stayed behind to stay with Tim. Right up until Tim told him to go to sleep since he'd been up for nearly two whole days.

Kon watched the blonde girl for a few minutes. She was clad in a purple suit that looked like it was meant to have a hood, but it was pulled down around her neck.

He listened with his super hearing to their conversation.

"You didn't have to come here, Steph." Tim said.

"Tim," Steph said, tilting her head to the side. "Of course I had to come see you." It looked like she was holding his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Who told you I was in here?" Tim asked.

"Well, when I didn't see you around on patrol, I asked Batman about it. He didn't tell me much but he did give me a ride over here." Steph admitted. "And you know, after all the other stuff that Luthor did, I'm a little offended you didn't tell me sooner." She added, giving Tim a sly smile.

"So you believe that Lex Luthor did this?" Tim repeated, a little disbelievingly.

"Of course I do, Tim. Did you really think I wouldn't?" Steph replied reassuringly.

"I didn't know if anyone would."

"He may not be one of our villains, but from what you've told me, Lex Luthor deserves everything that's coming to him after what he's done." Steph said strongly.

Kon leant against the wall, listening to the two talk for a while, thinking about everything that had happened; and most specifically, everything that had happened because of Lex Luthor.

He couldn't help agreeing with Steph's statement.

 

 

When Tim started coughing blood, they knew it wasn't going to turn out alright.

It wasn't until a red light turned on that the panic _really_ started.

"SUPERBOY! GET BACK FROM THE DOOR!" Batman ordered, running as quickly as he could to the hospital room. Kon jumped back as the door was flung open.

He gasped as the Kryptonite radiation hit him. It was definitely weaker - and that scared Kon. The weaker radiation meant that Tim didn't have much longer.

"What's happening!?" Victor demanded, running towards Kon. Garfield and Kori were just behind him, tailed by Cassie.

"Kon, what's going on?" Cassie asked, running to Kon's side.

"I don't know!" Kon replied honestly, trying his hardest to keep a level head.

Nightwing burst into the foyer and barged into Tim's room, disregarding the Kryptonian in the midst. Bart ran up to them, panic clear in his features.

"This isn't good." Victor whispered, looking through the large window at Tim. Instantly, the rest of them piled against the glass.

Batman was pushing down against Tim's chest, while Nightwing was hastily prepping, what looked like, a defibrillator.

" _Dear Hera, let him live. Please, let him live._ " Cassie hissed under her breath.

Nightwing pressed the defibrillator pads to Tim's chest and waited for the signal. An electric current coursed through him.

Tim's vitals kept spiralling downwards.

Batman gestured to the window and took over the defibrillator. His face was pinched and Kon could hear him muttering under his breath.

" _Not today. He's not dying. You're not dying, Tim._ "

He heard the beeps of the heart monitor start to slow.

Nightwing moved towards the window, shot the group an apologetic look and pushed a button beside the door. A heavy metal shutter fell over the window, cutting off any visual on Tim.

"What?!" Victor exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Cassie almost shouted. Panic was manifesting among the crowd at a terrifying rate.

"X'hal," Kori swore under her breath.

"Can you hear anything, Conner?" Garfield hissed, straining his ears.

Kon tilted his head towards the room, extending his super hearing as far as he could.

All he heard was a flatline.

" _No_."

 

 

Kon allowed himself two days.

Two days of mourning.

Two days.

And then he went after Lex.

 

 

" _Bruce, he's breathing. He's breathing!_ " Dick hissed frantically, looking up at Bruce. The hope and light was returning to Dick's eyes and Bruce couldn't stop his chest feeling lighter.

He pressed the defibrillator to Tim's chest again and waited for the beep. Tim's chest jolted from the current and his eyes blinked open.

"Unplug the heart monitor." Bruce ordered, glancing at Dick.

"What happened?" Tim asked, sucking air into his lungs again. Bruce surged forwards and gathered Tim up in his arms.

 

 

"Nightwing? Dick? You need to come out of that room. Staying with his body will not help you grieve." Kori said tentatively, knocking on the door to Tim's hospital room.

Slowly, Dick opened the door.

"Kori, Tim's not dead." Dick said, meeting her eye.

"What?" Kori breathed, looking past him into the room at the very much alive Tim. "No."

"Kori! Have you seen Conner? I can't find him anywhere." Cassie said, running up to the alien princess. "What's wrong?" She asked, seeing the expression on her face. Cassie's eyes slid into the room and she froze.

"Cassie, don't freak out." Tim said gently, raising a hand to her. Over the last couple days, he'd gotten much stronger.

"No. No, Conner heard the flatline." Cassie hissed, covering her mouth with her hand instinctively. "We thought you were _dead_." Her voice was thick.

"Did you say Conner has gone?" Kori asked sharply.

"He's gone after Luthor." Tim said, sitting up on the bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dick demanded, rushing over to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder - ready to steady him or push him back down if he had to.

"Kon thinks I'm dead and that Luthor killed me. He needs to see I'm okay before he does something he'll regret." Tim looked Dick in the eye, silently challenging him to refuse.

"Cassie, how fast can you get to Metropolis?" Dick asked, looking away from Tim in resignation.

"Fast enough." Cassie replied.

"Then give me thirty seconds to change." Tim said, swinging his legs off the bed.

 

 

"You've gotten skinny." Cassie remarked casually, pushing herself as close as she could to her terminal velocity.

"I've always been skinny." Tim muttered.

"Well, now you're skinnier. I guess almost dying does that to a person." Cassie replied. There was a touch of bitterness in her voice.

 

 

"LUTHOR!" Kon shouted, tearing the window off of the office wall and landing heavily on the ground.

"Ah, Superboy. I take it the _distraction_ is out of the way." Lex said, casually looking up at the raging Kryptonian clone.

"Robin is dead. And you killed him." Kon growled.

"That is the plan, yes." Lex replied.

Suddenly, Kon's hands were around his throat, squeezing his windpipe with so much strength that Lex could taste blood.

" _I'll kill you._ " Kon hissed, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I....have....a....cure...." Lex whispered, struggling to draw the air into his lungs.

"You said there was no cure." Kon said, not wanting to fall for any more tricks.

"I...lied." Lex breathed. "Let...me....explain...."

Reluctantly, Kon's grip loosened and Lex took deep, ragged breaths.

"You have one minute to explain." Kon warned, not totally releasing him.

"The chemical I gave...Robin was a mix of poisons. One that made it seem like he was dying and a few that wouldn't kill him, but put him in a death-like state. I have an antidote to the poisons." Lex explained.

"So you can still save him?" Kon asked, feeling his grip loosen even more.

"Yes. But I need something in return." Lex said.

"What do you need in return?" Kon asked. He was desperate, and Lex knew it.

"I need you to be my weapon, Superboy." Lex said.

"Superboy, don't!" Cassie shouted, appearing at the window. "I don't know what you're doing but don't!"

"It's not worth it." That voice. Kon's throat seized up and he dropped Lex onto the carpet.

"No." Kon spun around and just _stared_.

It was him.

Tim.

He was alive.

Not dead.

Luthor lied.

Tim wasn't dead.

Kon didn't even remember moving but suddenly Tim was in his arms and he was alive and solid with a beating heart and lungs that breathed.

He didn't remember feeling the tears spill down his cheeks but he didn't care.

"Never do that again to me, Tim." Kon whispered, pressing his face into Tim's collarbone.

"I won't. I promise." Tim whispered back.

"Erm, I see police outside the office." Cassie said.

"We need to get back to the Tower anyway." Kon said, lifting Tim up in his arms. Cassie and Kon left through the window, hovering in the air out of sight to watch the scene.

"Lex Luthor, you're under arrest." The officer stated, storming into the office with a group of five others, all with guns trained on Lex.

"You won't put me away for long." Lex said, rubbing the dark bruises on his neck.

"I'm afraid this time there's just too much damning evidence. We've have several different sources with multiple different offences. This time, you're going behind bars for a _long_ time." The officer replied, placing a pair of handcuffs on Luthor's wrists.

 

 

"You weren't really going to kill Luthor, were you?" Tim asked a few days later. The two of them were curled up together, a blanket draped over their bodies, watching the stars.

"I don't know. I was just angry and grieving. All I know is that I'm so glad you and Cassie got there when you did." Kon admitted, interlinking their fingers over his stomach.

"So am I." Tim said, resting his head on Kon's shoulder. He lifted his face to look at Kon, who was watching him. "What?"

"I never want to miss a single moment looking at your face ever again. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. 'Til death do us part." Kon said, his eyes going over every detail of Tim's face.

"Alright. 'Til death do us part." Tim replied, pressing his lips against Kon's.

And suddenly, life was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from one of my favourite quotes from Identity Crisis (a DC event which is my favourite ever so it's definitely worth a read)


End file.
